Scoil Dara suffered a tough 3-1 defeat to Heywood CS in the Division 2 Final, despite a performance full of effort and moments of real quality. The match was finely balanced for long periods, but Heywood struck late to take the title.
Match Report by Conor Dean, Alex Kiely and Orla McFall
Both sides started brightly, with Heywood threatening an early breakthrough. After just seven minutes, Bobby O’Shea produced a brilliant goal-line clearance to deny the opening goal. Scoil Dara grew in confidence shortly after when Andrew Walsh broke free of two defenders, only to be denied by a superb save from the Heywood goalkeeper.
The half continued to ebb and flow, with Alex McGill going close from distance after some clever link-up play, but neither side could find the net. The teams went into the break locked at 0-0, setting up a tense second half.
Scoil Dara struck first on 60 minutes after sustained pressure from a corner. When the ball wasn’t cleared, Cormac Murray’s sliced volley fell perfectly for Andrew Walsh, who acrobatically headed home to give Scoil Dara a 1-0 lead.
Heywood responded quickly, equalising in the 66th minute with a stunning counterattack and a powerful strike driven into the bottom corner. Both teams pressed for a winner, but it was Heywood who found the decisive goals late on. An 88th-minute header from a corner put them 2-1 up, and in stoppage time a loose ball in the Scoil Dara half was pounced upon by Heywood’s striker, sealing a 3-1 victory.
Full Time: Scoil Dara 1-3 Heywood CS
It was a cruel result for Scoil Dara, who played some excellent football and led for much of the second half. Despite the disappointment, the players can be proud of their performance in a thrilling final.